And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
The verse concerns a Roman centurion at Capernaum whose servant lay sick with palsy and near death. When those who had been sent to Jesus returned to the house, they found the servant whole, well and restored to health. The messengers who came back found him well, the sickness removed and health fully restored.
The healing was accomplished by Jesus' word alone in that same hour, without His entering the home or seeing the servant. He spoke and the servant was healed at a distance, even though the servant was miles away. Jesus gave the healing in response to and as a reward for the centurion's faith and trust in His authority and power, without requiring Him to come in person. The centurion felt unworthy to approach Jesus and based his plea not on his own goodness or worthiness but on his great need and on mercy. He trusted Christ's power rather than his own merit, resting his request on need and on the Saviour's mercy.
The account of distant healing gives encouragement through Christ's power to heal at a distance. The restoration illustrates Christ's direct work among people outside Israel, and the centurion's conversion is an instance of that work. It partially unveiled Christ breaking down the dividing wall between Israel and other nations and preaching salvation to all mankind, so that Gentiles would be fellow heirs with Jews and share His promise through the gospel. It taught that in God's kingdom there are no territorial lines, caste, or aristocracy, that the message of a Saviour's love must go to all nations, and that among those regarded as unworthy of salvation there are souls hungering for truth.
The verse concerns a Roman centurion at Capernaum whose servant lay sick with palsy and near death. When those who had been sent to Jesus returned to the house, they found the servant whole, well and restored to health. The messengers who came back found him well, the sickness removed and health fully restored.
The healing was accomplished by Jesus' word alone in that same hour, without His entering the home or seeing the servant. He spoke and the servant was healed at a distance, even though the servant was miles away. Jesus gave the healing in response to and as a reward for the centurion's faith and trust in His authority and power, without requiring Him to come in person. The centurion felt unworthy to approach Jesus and based his plea not on his own goodness or worthiness but on his great need and on mercy. He trusted Christ's power rather than his own merit, resting his request on need and on the Saviour's mercy.
The account of distant healing gives encouragement through Christ's power to heal at a distance. The restoration illustrates Christ's direct work among people outside Israel, and the centurion's conversion is an instance of that work. It partially unveiled Christ breaking down the dividing wall between Israel and other nations and preaching salvation to all mankind, so that Gentiles would be fellow heirs with Jews and share His promise through the gospel. It taught that in God's kingdom there are no territorial lines, caste, or aristocracy, that the message of a Saviour's love must go to all nations, and that among those regarded as unworthy of salvation there are souls hungering for truth.